Marvel Comics

The Untold Story

By: Sean Howe

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The defining, behind-the-scenes chronicle of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and dominant pop cultural entities in America’s history - Marvel Comics - and the outsized personalities who made Marvel, including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby.

“Sean Howe’s history of Marvel makes a compulsively readable, riotous and heartbreaking version of my favorite story, that of how a bunch of weirdoes changed the world…That it’s all true is just frosting on the cake.” (Jonathan Lethem)

For the first time, Marvel Comics tells the stories of the men who made Marvel: Martin Goodman, the self-made publisher who forayed into comics after a get-rich-quick tip in 1939; Stan Lee, the energetic editor who would shepherd the company through thick and thin for decades; and Jack Kirby, the WW II veteran who would co-create Captain America in 1940 and, 20 years later, developed with Lee the bulk of the company’s marquee characters in a three-year frenzy.

Incorporating more than 100 original interviews with those who worked behind the scenes at Marvel over a 70-year-span, Marvel Comics packs anecdotes and analysis into a gripping narrative of how a small group of people on the cusp of failure created one of the most enduring pop cultural forces in contemporary America.

©2012 Sean Howe (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

The Marvel density you thought you knew

It plays out like a text book. It tells the history of Marvel in a negative tone. I became a Marvel comic fan in the 90s when it was at it's climax of comic fame. So I thought it was a fantastic place to work. WOW! Was I wrong. It tells of cut throat ladder climbing. Micromanaging meddling on creator's works. Mishandling of staff and Marvel properties. I thought Stan was a God among Marvel's elites, just to find out his was a talentless leech. This book was 17 hours long and it flew by. I believe, like many marvel ideas, much was left out of this story.

long and sometimes hard to follow

This book was a very complete history, but so many names are thrown around it is hard to keep track. Another thing that makes it tough is Marvel tired and fired most of it's employees over and over again. it was good to get a better understanding of the comic book industry.

As a fan of comics and of Marvel, Glad I listened.

The inside history of Marvel was a good listen. The delivery and narration of the history was pretty dry, so it took some effort to stick with it. That being said, I'm glad I did. It amazes me how harsh and cutthroat an industry of creators and entertainment is... for me it highlights that all jobs can suck, and when they do it's usually some rich asshats who made no legitimate contribution that are the reason it's so terrible. Thanks so much to all the artists and writers who suffered this industry to keep me and millions of others entertained for decades!

Great and Informative Without Being Boring

If you are a fan of Marvel Comics or the Marvel movies and want to know their unbiased history, the good and the bad, then you should definitely check this out!

A Deft History of Marvel, Warts and All

Howe does amazing work in this tome, peeling back layer after layer of the long history of Marvel, detailing its triumphs and tragedies. A must-read for comics fans, scholars and casual observers.

A Window into the Marvel that is Marvel

An insightful look into the history and origins of Marvel Comics . The author takes you from the humble beginnings into the lair of the giant today . You are also shown the dark side of intellectual property and how some “creators” unfortunately get the short end of the stick . Highly recommended.

Great Listen

Sad to learn the dark history. Might make me a DC fan. Fu** Ike Pearlmutter.

An amazing history of Marvel - the good, bad and ugly

This book does an amazing job of taking you through the creation and rise of Marvel. Wonderful account of artist, writers and editors. The history of Stan Lee and jack kirby, and countless others .

Now I am informed!

I was curious to learn about the history of Marvel comics. Like millions, I grew up with comics books and reading them was a joy of childhood. The book gives a very in depth account of the history. Great read no matter where your life intersected the storyline.

Definitely worth your time!

A fantastic look at the behind-the-scenes drama that built the House of Ideas!